I approach the Gardener, shy but excited. He smiles warmly at me, handing me a bag of free seeds. “Follow the instructions, care for them, tend to them, and they will bear fruit. You are ready for this.” He says, his voice bringing such assurance that all the shyness and hesitation goes away. I look at him and smile. “Thank you.” I take my bag of seeds and make my way home. I walk into my greenhouse, the special place the Gardener made. To everyone who accepted Him, He helped make greenhouses for them and offered to give free seeds and gardening tools. I’m so glad I said yes, because I can’t wait for my greenhouse to look so healthy and pretty! Right now, its white frame and glass windows show the clean interior that will soon be filled with various plants. How exciting!
I walk inside and leave the seeds on a wooden table. I take the bags of dirt on the floor and start filling the flower pots and wooden raised garden beds (the wooden boxes where I can plant a lot of plants in together). After filling all the boxes and pots with dirt, I take the time to smoothen the dirt as I prepare them for the seeds.
Come all you weary / Come all you thirsty / Come to the well that never runs dry... For God so loved / the world that He gave us / His one and only Son to save us / whoever believes in Him / will live forever (from God So Loved by We the Kingdom)
Before we talk about taking root to start bearing fruit, we want to remind you of the need for preparation. The school year has already started, the PISD community has prepared for these new ways of handling classes for the past few months, and you have done your preparation, whether that be parents preparing their schedules and the house, students preparing their minds and materials, teachers preparing their plans, etc. Preparation is important because even if it doesn’t define the way you grow, it sets the tone for how you grow.
While we will be exploring a new story for every monthly encouragement this year, in reality, we are our own gardeners to our hearts and lives. And just as we prepare for our new school year and activities, we also have to prepare our hearts and minds for the life ahead of us.
John 3:16. Jesus already paid the price (like the seeds) and God has already given us what we need (like the greenhouse and gardening tools) to grow through this life well, but we need to choose to prepare ourselves to receive His love, salvation, and gifts. He loves you, but will you allow Him into your life?
So as we continue through this school year, let us be excited and expectant to plant seeds of learning, growing, respecting, and loving. God loves you and if you allow Him to, He will let His love run deep, wide, and high, to guide you, strengthen you, and help you in all you do.
How deep is the love / how high is the One who / forgives and forgets all our sin / how great is Your grace / I’ll never forget all You’ve done / Oh, how deep is Your love (How Deep is the Love by Hillsong Young and Free)
Blessings! Precious International School of Davao
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